Thanks to the generous support of the NUS Office of Alumni Relations, the NUS Alumni Overseas Chapter Xiamen (hereafter “Xiamen Chapter”) recently held its 2024 New Year Reception. This year, Xiamen Chapter creatively organised receptions in three major cities-Fuzhou, Xiamen and Hangzhou. Around 70 alumni took part in the receptions. Xiamen alumni had a dinner at a Hakka restaurant, tasted special northern Fujian food, and prepared New Year gifts for alumni. Xiamen Chapter successfully reached out to 30 or so new alumni through the receptions. Other than good food, a technological and cultural tour was also initiated in Hangzhou by Vice Chairman Dr You Mingliang and Dr Xu Luang. Some 20 alumni and family members paid a visit to Uniview (a leader of AloT solutions worldwide) and Xixing Ancient Town. It’s worth highlighting that a few alumni from Singapore, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Zhangzhou, Nanjing and Quanzhou purposely flew or took the bullet train to attend the receptions.

Despite a full day of drizzling rain, the Karaoke Night held on 9 December 2023 at KBox Melbourne was an absolute hit, leaving attendees with memories of a night filled with music, laughter, and camaraderie.

The event, organised by the NUS Alumni Overseas Chapter Melbourne, aimed to provide a platform for members to showcase their singing talents, foster community spirit, and create an enjoyable and entertaining atmosphere. The event featured a diverse range of songs spanning various genres and decades. Participants enthusiastically embraced the opportunity to sing their favourite tunes, creating an inclusive and engaging musical experience for everyone.

We witnessed a myriad of energetic and passionate performances throughout the night. From soulful ballads to upbeat pop hits, participants showcased their vocal prowess and entertained the audience with their unique styles. Veteran professional Singer Dr Raymond Wong (Architecture ‘81) easily blew us away with his pitch perfect voice in different languages. The interactive nature of the event contributed to its success. We enjoyed the performances and welcomed new members Ms Cynthia Chua (Engineering ‘12) and Ms Sharon Seah (Engineering ‘94) . They have been in Australia for several years and but this was their first time joining an NUS Alumni event in Melbourne.

Never too shy to sing, we took turns with the microphone while nibbling on finger food, dim sums and mini-pizzas with beverages, creating an electric atmosphere of support and encouragement. The highlight of the event would have to be group sing-along songs with YMCA when everyone stood in unison and danced to the rhythm.

Attendee feedback was overwhelmingly positive. The Karaoke Night was a resounding success, bringing people together for a night of music, fun, and camaraderie. The event successfully achieved its goal of fostering members’ spirit and providing a platform for musical expression.

“This event was great fun and interactive, something different from the usual sit-down dinners we have,” said Ms Audrey Sim (Arts and Social Science ’96).

“I never knew there was an NUS Alumni chapter in Melbourne; I [would] like to attend more of these events to get to know more like-minded people,” said Ms Sharon Seah (Engineering ‘94)

“What a rare opportunity to get time off from my kids; thank you for organising this event!” added Ms Cynthia Chua (Engineering ’12).